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Homeschooling Adventures at the Maxwell's
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Where to start?
Sometimes I start to write on this blog and my mind draws a total blank and I can't think of a single thing to write about. Today I have so much on my mind that I can't figure out what to write about and whether any of it is noteworthy anyway. I think I'll make some random "headlines" then go back and fill in my thoughts below them.
Online friends
For some reason I've grown distant from my online friends for the most part. I have one that I've knows for several years now and she introduced me to two others, now I never seem to get to connect with any of them. Perhaps they are busy and distracted, I hope so, but I do really miss them. We used to get together online and do "15 minute missions." That is basically doing focused cleaning or organizing in our own homes then checking back with each other to talk about what we accomplished. We would do that several times in row and it was a lot of fun and we each were able to get so much done. I've joined the Flylady forums and there is a group that is doing something similar, maybe I'll give that a try again. It's not as much fun, but maybe it will keep me inspired.
New homeschool co-op
My two youngest children and I have joined a fairly new homeschool co-op in a nearby town and so far things are going pretty well. There was one woman there that I'd met at a previous homeschool function and we have hit it off pretty well. There are several little girls around my daughters age, so she is making some friends also. There are several boys around my sons age also but I think he's determined to not make friends, as the one boy he enjoyed spending time with at our old homeschool group isn't in this one. He's starting to come out of his shell a little, it's just that my kids are as shy as I was at that age. I still am quite a bit, but it's not as crippling as it was at that age. Along with making friends they are really enjoying their classes. They are taking Art, Science, Home Ec. and Gym. I'm trying to consider if I want to instruct a class next semester, but I'm not sure of what to offer. I'm sure it will be some sort of artsy type of class, just not sure what yet.
Crafts
I'm still doing crafts and other art projects both on my own and with the kids, just haven't been taking any pics of the process. I did alter a sweatshirt today and made myself stop and take pics while I was doing it, so once I'm satisfied with the end product, I'll probably post it on here. I plan on making some of the Christmas gifts we'll be giving to our extended family, and I'll try to remember to photograph them along the way also.
Friends found again on Facebook
While I've lost contact with some online friends, I've been able to reconnect with several of my old high school friends with Facebook. Right now I'm advising two on how to begin homeschooling. Which reminds me, I need to send them links that I promised I'd send them. Both with be homeschooling their only child, and it makes me wonder what it would have been like to homeschool only one. When we started six years ago, my oldest was going into 5th grade, middle was in 1st grade and the youngest was only three but determined to do school right along with the older ones. Homeschooling more than one can be frustrating, but it is also very rewarding.
Ebay and Christmas
I've been listing some items on ebay and so far they've done pretty well. I've gotten paid quickly and recieved positive feedback, can't beat that!! It would be nicer if the items went for more money, but I did make a little profit so that works too. I used the profits from my first round of sales to purchase my dad's Christmas gift, the full year of 1964 Hot Rod magazines. My husband has already poured over them and has even taken them into work to let those guys look at them. They are all safely and neatly in my closet awaiting the holiday season. I have some ideas for other gifts, and hopefully starting sooner will not put such a financial strain on us at the end of the year.
I had two other categories listed on here to write about but I've got housework screaming for attention so I'd better be getting off of here. I'll try to post more later.
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Co-op Gym Class Ideas
We joined a rather new homeschool co-op in my area and are really enjoying it. Really the only thing I'd like to see run a little differently is the gym class. Right now the kids are led to the gym for about half an hour and they are to find something active to do during that time. It's generally something with balls but nothing structured. I'm going to make a suggestion that planned activities be done during that time.
There are some shy kids in the group that don't just jump in where the action and usually stay on the fringes watching everyone else. Yes, I'm mostly talking about my two that I take. I don't take my oldest one as there are no other kids their his age and he'd be annoying beyond belief if I forced it on him, so I let him stay home.
I was doing some searches online yesterday for some ideas that I could implement into a gym class if they are interested in letting me help with it. I worry, though, since many of the kids seem to enjoy themselves as it is now, will they rebell if I try to add structure? The kids in this class range in age from 9 through 14. I'd like to stay away from competitive games and have the kids do things just because it's fun. Kind of hard to go totally non-competitive, but that's my goal eventually.
Here's a list of a few ideas I found or thought up, I wonder how they'd be received by the kids.
- Table tennis ball spoon race - balance a ball on a spoon, walk to the other end of the gym and around one or more obstacles and back to the next person in line. If dropped, pick it up and continue from where it dropped.
- Paddle ball balance - balance a table tennis ball on a table tennis paddle and continue as above.
- Frisbee toss - take three plastic flying discs and toss them one at a time either through a hula hoop or into a large trash can.
- Javelin throw - use pool noodles to throw through a hoop, into a large can or past a certain point on the floor.
- Chop Stick Relay - Using chopsticks, lift a stuffed chicken out of a bowl and transport to the other end of the gym and deposit into a frying pan, come back and give the chopsticks to the next person. The next person retrieves the chicken and brings back to the bowl. Continue until everyone has a turn. Chopsticks cannot be used to poke or stab the chicken, but must be used properly.
- Obstacle course - take whatever I can find in the gym area and create an obstacle course. For example, weave around cones in a line, bounce a ball around a chair, crawl under a table, etc.
- Wacky Walk - The kids would be spread out around the perimeter of the gym and would start walking in the same direction. Every 30 seconds or so a new way will be called out. They will continue with that for 30 seconds then return to walking for 30 seconds. Some ideas: crab-walk, reverse direction, backwards, jog, skip, jump, big steps, tiny steps, sideways, sideways jumping.
- Jump rope - teach some jump rope rhymes and teach how to jump in the middle of other people twirling the rope.
I hoping to find more ideas. I'm not sure if the co-op is interested in changing the way the gym class is run but if so, I'd like to be ready. The class is around 30 minutes and we have another 6 or 7 classes left in this semester. So if they'd be interested in holding off on it until the spring semester, then I'll be ready for that too. |
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Sunday, August 2, 2009
Trying To Get My Ducks In A Row
It seems like my summers have been pretty much the same since we started homeschooling 5 years ago. I take a break from thinking about schooling during June. In July I start evaluating what worked the previous year(s) and what didn't. In August, I start gathering supplies and curriculum.
I wish I had the money to drop on the latest and greatest choises out there, but since my oldest is in high school now, his curriculum is where the majority of our school budget will be going. He'll be doing Switched On Schoolhouse this year as we were able to borrow our friend's 9th grade version at the end of last year and he loved it. I won't be buying the 5 subject boxed set though, but will still be spending a good bit with the ones we do get. He'll be doing 10th grade LA, Science, and History, and 9th grade for Math as it is Algebra and he hadn't really covered it yet. Since he plans to work in Law Enforcement as an adult, I'm going to also supplement these courses with Civics, Logic, and Accounting as was suggested to us by my local sheriff. Now I just need to get these ordered and delivered by the end of the month. He'll also be doing other things, but these are the only items I still need to order.
My two youngest will be working on the same level in most areas, except for reading at least. I would like to buy a Spelling curriculum for them, but I hate to purchase anything without being able to hold it in my hands first to see if it would be a good fit for them. However, I do have some of the older spelling books in our personal library so I made up lesson plans for them myself. I think they will really enjoy doing their spelling this year as I took all the words for a given week and used them in a story starring themselves. I still need to type it out and bind them, but that won't take me very long once I get started.
I'll also be babysitting my grandson a couple of days a week and I want to have more planned activities to keep him occupied while we are doing our schooling. The kids have volunteered to take turns helping with him (not diapers though, they were very clear on that) and they are all looking forward to homeschooling him also. So, I want to look around on the web to find good activities to do with toddlers, he'll be 17 months when we start back at the end of the month.
I also want to get some basic breakfast and lunch menus planned and do any advanced cooking as possible before we start back also. We all work and focus better on a full tummy and we tend to waste so much time trying to decide what to eat then preparing it. I need to get much better in this area.
I'll try to post more regularly again, but probably not with very many crafts. We are still a very crafty family, I just don't photograph it all. I do have pictures of the blacksmithing class I took last week with my son, though. They are on my facebook page and if you tell me you read this blog I'll approve you as a friend so you can see them as well as anything else I've posted on there. |
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Sunday, May 17, 2009
CRAFT - Carton Wallet
I'm finally back with another craft. I'd stepped down as the craft writer for HSB and now I'll just show crafts whenever I get around to it. I enjoyed being the craft writer, but I was having a hard time keeping up with the weekly deadlines. This craft was from an issue of Family Fun magazine.
TURN A CARTON INTO A WALLET
SUPPLIES
1 (1/2 gallon) milk or juice carton with plastic cap, rinsed
Scissors
Paper towels
Template from Family Fun
Sharpie marker
Ruler
Butter knife
Cut open the carton so it lies flat, put aside the cap for now. Dry the inside with the paper towels.
Cut out the template and tape together. Tape the template onto the carton so that the top circle lines up with the spout.
Mark the outline of the template with the marker. Using firm pressure, trace the dotted lines with the butter knife. A ruler will help you mark the straight lines.
Remove the template and go over the scored lines again using the ruler and butter knife. These need to be done a couple of time in order to get it to fold easily.
Use scissors to cut out the shape from the carton. To make cutting out the circle easier, first make an X with a sharp knife.
Following the fold lines you marked, create an accordion fold on each side of the wallet.
Tightly squeeze the accordion folds.
Fold the top flap down, pushing the spout through the hole. Screw on the cap to keep the flap in place. You may need to trim the hole a little bigger to get it to fit easily onto the spout, but be careful not to make it to big or it will slip off over the cap.
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Friday, May 15, 2009
Wish List of Books and Movies
I'm finally sorting through my mountains of pages torn from magazines and I'm compiling a list of books and movies I'm wanting to see. I'm also checking my library inventory and on Netflix, anything I can't locate at either of these places will go onto this list. I need to declutter some of this paper in my house, it's overwhelming. I'm tossing the pages as I'm going, but I'll have this as a reference for the ones I can't locate otherwise.
BOOKS
GOD STORIES - edited by Jennifer Skiff
THE PAPER BAG CHRISTMAS - by Kevin Alan Milne
THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER - by Kathleen Kent
THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS IN THE SOUTH OR IF YOU CAN'T FRY IT, SPRAY PAINT IT GOLD - by David C. Barnette
VETERINARIAN AT SEASIDE ZOO - Work It series
TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO THINK - by Edward de Bono
THE ENGLISH AMERICAN - by Alison Larkin
LAST SEEN LEAVING - by Kelly Braffet
LIVING ARTFULLY - by Sandra Magsamen
BAD KITTY GETS A BATH - by Nick Bruel
READER'S DIGEST HOMEMADE
STAR OF THE WEEK - by Barney Stalzberg
THE RED LEATHER DIARY: RECLAIMING A LIFE THROUGH THE PAGES OF A LOST JOURNAL - by Lily Koppel
THE LITTLE GIANT OF ABERDEEN COUNTY - by Tiffany Baker
THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS - by Barbara O'Neal
DEEPER by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IMMATURITY by Klutz
THE PUZZLING WORLD OF WINSTON BREEN by Eric Berlin
TWENTY-ODD DUCKS by Lynn Truss
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Allison Lassieur
THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES by Robert Coles
HENRY VIII by Sean Stewart Price
HIP-HOP US HISTORY by Blake Alexander and Alex Rappaport
THE 39 CLUES by Rick Riordan
CHASING YESTERDAY #3 TRUTH by Robin Wasserman
WARRIORS by James Harpur
WHO CONDUCTED THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Peter and Connie Roop
THE MANY RIDES OF PAUL REVERE by James Cross Giblin
HARRY HOUDINI by Vicki Cobb
CHARLIE by Tina Nolan
THE MONSTER HEALTH BOOK by Edward Miller
THE GREAT FAIRY RACE by Disney
THE MISSION OF ADDITION
THE ACTION OF SUBTRACTION
LOST IN THE STORM by Holly Webb
FLY GUY Series by Todd Arnold
TWO TIMES THE FUN by Beverly Cleary
WAR HEROES - VOICES FROM IRAQ by Allen Zullo
HEROES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS by David Adler
BLOOD AND ICE by Robert Massello
THE WRITING ON MY FOREHEAD by Nafisa Haji
SING THEM HOME by Stephanie Kallos
MOVIES
HORSE TUNES FOR KIDS - DVD and CD - Songs by Brent Holmes and Harvey the Horse
INTO THE UNKNOWN with Josh Bernstein
IDITAROD by Discovery
EVEREST by Discovery
I'll try to keep this updated. I know I have a slew of book and movie wishlists somewhere in this house! |
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Friday, January 30, 2009
CRAFT CORNER - Floral Ruler Holder
My family goes through these canisters of sugar-free drink mixes rather quickly, and I always wondered what I could use them for instead of just tossing them. I finally thought of something and quickly went through my stash of crafting supplies and found some things to use with it.
SUPPLIES:
Canister from sugar-free drink mixes (such as Crystal Light)
Decorative paper (premade or make your own)
Adhesives (I used glue dots and a hot glue gun)
Scissors
Fake flowers and greenery
Take the wrapper off of the canister and throw it away. Measure around the canister and along the length and cut your paper to match, making the measurement a little larger for the circumfrence for a slight overlap. Apply glue dots to the two short sides of the paper and line up with edge and glue down then roll the paper around and press to glue the other side.
Pull all the leaves and flowers off the stem and seperate into different piles.
Do any trimming that needs done to make the flowers flush on the back.
Take the glue gun and adhere the greenery around the top of the canister and onto the paper.
Then fill in with the flowers still using the glue gun.
Fill with rulers and you are done. If it seems a little top heavy with the rulers in it, as the canister is very lightweight, fill the bottom of it with a handful of pennies before adding the rulers.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009
CRAFT CORNER - Make Your Own Iron-Ons
My hubby recently tore the front of a pair of his jeans, since the jeans were in otherwise good condition we decided to try to salvage them into work pants. My oldest son had ripped the rear end out of a pair of his jeans so I used them as the source of fabric for the patch to make the repair. It worked great and best of all there was no sewing involved, it was all very quick and easy. I still had loads of the denim fabric left so I decided to design some cute iron-on designs for my daughter. I scrounged around in her drawer for a plain shirt that she never wears. Here's the craft I came up for for this week along with the list of supplies.
SUPPLIES
Scrap fabric (I used denim, but you can use anything that can be ironed)
Shirt (something plain without a design)
Fusible webbing (I used Heat 'n Bond Brand Iron-On Adhesive ULTRAHOLD No-Sew)
Sharpie Marker
Fabric Marker
Iron
Start by cutting out a piece of fabric a little larger than you need. Cut out a piece of the fusible webbing to fit inside this area. Adhere the webbing to the reverse side of the fabric by ironing on the paper side of the webbing. Follow the directions that come with the webbing you purchase, but I used Wool setting on my iron for this. It only takes a few seconds for it to adhere, then let it cool.
On the paper, use the Sharpie marker to draw out whatever design you want. You can use stencils if you like. Remember that whatever design you draw it will be the reverse image you'll end up with. What this means is if you are writing letters or numbers, draw their mirror image on the paper. Once you have the designs you want, cut them out.
Peel the paper from the back and arrange onto the shirt in the order you want them to remain. Iron into place using the same setting as before.
You can leave it as is or embellish the designs with fabric markers. If you want to get real creative, you can use fabric paints, sew on ribbons, or even Bedazzle it. The options are endless and the only real expense you'll have is the cost of the fusible webbing, just recycle unworn shirts and clothes from the rag/donate box. This could even be a fun craft to use in vacation Bible school, day camp, and so on.
Although this shirt was found way at the bottom of my daughters drawer and I cannot recall ever seeing her wear it, she was quick to inform me that I "ruined" her favorite shirt and set out to design decals of her chosing for another shirt. Sigh. |
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Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Cute Valentine Friendship Poem
This is a nice poem to give to a friend for Valentine's Day. I found it in THE BOOK OF VIRTUES by William J. Bennett. No author is credited, if you know who wrote it please let me know so I can give them proper credit.
NEW FRIENDS AND OLD FRIENDS
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test --
Time and change -- are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray;
Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die;
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast --
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
If you'd like a chance to win the valentine this poem is on, check out how on the Company Blog from February 2nd through the 6th. Just remember that the craft and contest won't be posted until February 2nd, but you can go ahead and check out this weeks posts if you'd like, they are all worth the trip. |
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009
CRAFT CORNER - Weave a Cloth Basket
With this craft you can make a colorful centerpiece for the family table or a catchall for a growing collection. With this easy fabric-wrapping technique, both kids and adults will enjoy making their own basket.
YOU WILL NEED:
1 1/4 yards of cotton fabric (one color or several to equal this amount) cut or torn into about 20 strips 1 inch wide
Scissors
6 yards of 1/2 inch cotton piping cord
yard stick
Begin by cutting or tearing the fabric into 22 strips 1/2 inch wide. I was lucky that I could skip this step as I'd found some of these rolls of fabric already cut to the right width. If you are using the ribbon like I did, you'll need to cut it into lengths of 1 1/4 yards each.
Start wrapping a fabric strip around the cord, beginning at the cord's tip and overlapping each layer as shown.
After wrapping 4 inches of the cord, fold the wrapped section in half and wind the fabric around it to start the base coil. Make sure you leave a small gap in the end of the loop as you'll need to feed fabric through it.
Continue wrapping and coiling the cord, stopping every 2 inches to secure the coil by looking the fabric strip once around the last fabric-covered ring. When you reach the end of a strip, start the next one using the same overlapping technique.
Once the coil is about 6 inches wide, start building the sides of the basket by positioning the cord on top of the previous ring. Continue to secure the the coil every 2 inches.
To finish the basket (mine was 4 1/2 inches high and 8 inches in diameter), cut the cord at an angle. Loop the fabric strip around the adjacent ring, covering the end of the cord and securing it to the basket. Trim off and tuck in any excess fabric.
Just by luck, mine fit my flower pot perfectly!! Didn't even plan it that way.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009
Girl Scout Cookie Time!!
We just signed Lindsey up for Girl Scouts, and just in time for the cookie sales! My husband took an order form with him to work and has sold several boxes for her already, she has set her personal goal at selling 250 boxes. She is hoping to earn a stuffed elephant. I told her that I'll be surprised if we can make it to 100 boxes, we don't know that many people.
I did just send off an email to a lot of people and plan to start making some phone calls here in a little while to help her out. I'd planned on taking her to visit with some of our friends and family to sell them, but the weather just isn't cooperating with us right now, so email and phone calls will have to do for now.
If you live in WV and would like to order some cookies, let me know by leaving me a comment. Or if you live elsewhere and want some and would pay for shipping to you, let me know that also. I can't imagine I'd be lucky enough to sell any on here, but it doesn't hurt to try, huh? |
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